A tumour weighing almost six stone has been removed from a woman in the Czech Republic.

The growth, which weighed a staggering 5st 9lbs, had been growing inside the unidentified woman's stomach for years because she was too scared to visit a doctor.

Despite the 47-year-old's stomach swelling to almost 20 times its usual size, she didn't seek help until the tumour left her bedridden.

A Czech woman had a six stone tumour removed from her stomach. It caused her stomach to swell to almost 20 times its normal size. It had been allowed to become enormous as she was too scared to see a doctor

The woman underwent a life-saving operation to have the malignant tumour removed at Zlin Regional Hospital, in Zlin, last month.

It took surgeons more than seven hours to remove the growth which measured more than one metre in circumference.

They also needed to remove a further 4st 7lbs of surrounding tissue - leaving the woman more than 10 stone lighter.

Share this article

Zdenek Adamik, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the hospital, said doctors were baffled as to why the woman had not sought help earlier.

He said they found it strange that her parents hadn't encouraged her to see a doctor considering the sheer weight of the tumour left her confined to her bed and unable to lead a normal life.

The woman also had more than four stone of surrounding tissue removed so during the operation she lost more than 10 stone. She dropped from 18st 4lbs to eight stone. Image shows her stomach before surgery

During the seven hour operation, the woman had to been given 20 blood transfusions (pictured)

He said: ‘The patient weighed 117 kilos [18st 4lbs] before the operation and now she weighs 51 kilos [eight stone].

‘It is strange that the family and friends were unable to react to what was going on with the lady because just the weight of the tumour confined her to bed and she could not live a normal life.’

It is not yet known whether the woman will make a full recovery.

Doctors are continuing to monitor her condition following the operation.

Share or comment on this article:

Czech woman has SIX STONE tumour removed from her stomach after it left her bedridden